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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

CONGRATULATIONS TO WANDA from Winnepeg! She's the lucky winner of Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms! Jane says she'll mail your copy out ASAP! Thank you to EVERYone who joined in on the fun! And Thank You to EVERYone who tweeted, blogged and spread the word! It was fun to see what recipes everyone chose! It also made me very hungry! Enjoy the Holidays!

Are you working in the kitchen preparing for your Thanksgiving Dinner? Well, while we're all thinking about food I have a special treat for you! A Cookbook Giveaway! And not just any cookbook- a cookbook designed to make your life easier! Jane Doiron is a busy mom of two boys who discovered the beauty of preparing meals in advance. Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms is her wonderful collection of delicious, easy to prepare recipes that will make your mouth water and your time your own again!

I'm not a mom, but I work full time and need to come home every night and make something for dinner! Jane Doiron's book is not just for busy Moms, but for busy people who want to have a delicious meal on the table every night! Make those meals ahead of time! Jane's cookbook offers menus perfect for freezing, pre-assembling or quick reheating! My book club usually has dinner at one of our members houses when we meet and there are some great recipes to share with a crowd in Jane's book too! I'm already thinking about what I'm going to cook for them the next meeting at my house from Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms!

The cookbook opens first with some helpful tips, such as using powdered buttermilk instead of the liquid kind because you can store that in the refrigerator up to one year after it's opened! Then we have Appetizers, Breakfast and Brunch, Dessert, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Soup, and a handy chart in the back for measurement equivalents!

You'll find Mini Bacon Quiches, Teriyaki Chicken Wings, and Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Sweet and Spicy Meatballs (perfect for a party!), Italian Restaurant Chicken and Broiled Honey Mustard Salmon! And there is a Mini Cheesecake recipe with only 8 ingredients that you probably have most of in your kitchen already! All the recipes have clear, easy instructions with all the ingredients readily available! There are instructions on what to do "The Day Ahead" and then the "Cooking Directions". There are also Freeze directions if applicable.

When Jane sent me her cookbook to try out there were so many recipes that looked so tempting! I decided to make Chicken Cannelloni! This is probably the longest recipe in the book, but it sounded so Delish I just had to make it! And boy was it! My husband was a happy man that night! And we were able to freeze enough for a few more meals! The house smelled incredible too! But it was also EASY! The directions were thorough and easy to follow. And Jane is going to let me share this recipe with you!

Chicken Cannelloni

1 & 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

10 oz. bag spinach, cooked, drained and chopped

15 oz. ricotta cheese, part skim

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black ground pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 eggs

8 oz box of manicotti shells

Sauce:

3 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder

1 large garlic clove minced

1 cup 4 cheese pizza cheese, shredded

salt & pepper to taste

additional parmesan cheese, for the topping

- A Day Ahead -

Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan cheese, and eggs. Boil the manicotti 1 minute less than directed on the box. Do Not Overcook. You will need 12 manicotti, but it is good to cook extra in case they fall apart. (there are 14 in a box) (and yes I needed to cook the whole box because some of mine fell apart). Carefully remove the manicotti from the hot water and place them on a long sheet of wax paper to cool and dry. Fill a pastry bag with the chicken mixture and stuff the manicotti. Place the stuffed manicotti (side by side and touching) in the baking dish. Or you can divide them up into 2 freezable baking pans. To make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cream. When the cream is hot, stir in the bouillon, garlic, shredded cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well blended. Pour the sauce over the cannelloni. Cover and refrigerate.

- Cooking Directions -

Take the cannelloni out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the top of the cannelloni with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake 20 - 25 minutes until bubbly and the cheese on top is golden brown. Serves 6 ( 2 manicotti each)

- Freezing Directions -

This dish will taste just fine after it has been frozen, but be aware that the cream will separate. If you want to freeze the cannelloni, be sure that it is completely cooled first. Then wrap it well in plastic wrap and place in a labeled extra-large freezer bag of 2 layers of foil. On the outside of the bag, write "Sprinkle with grated cheese before cooking." This will freeze up to 2 months.

- Thawing Directions -

Transfer the frozen cannelloni dish to the refrigerator at least 24 hours before you want to cook it. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Cook as directed. You may have to add a little cooking time if it's not completely thawed.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Don't let all those ingredients fool you- it was easy to prepare. Would you like to get more recipes!? Well, Jane is going to let me give away a copy of Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms to one of my lucky readers! AND she's going to sign it and tuck inside a recipe not found in the book as a special surprise!

Here's How to Enter...

For your First Entry, head on over to Jane's Website Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms , take a look at all the recipes listed there and tell me in a comment what recipe you'd make first if you won Jane's cookbook! Please make sure you leave your email address in the comment too so I can contact you if you win!

For Extra Entries... just let me know in your comment all the things you did for your extra entries!

*sign up for Jane's newsletter! You won't be sorry! She shares great cooking tips and more great recipes! HERE's where you can sign-up!

*Of course if you follow me you get an extra entry! Not a follower yet? No problem, just sign up now and let me know you did!

*Tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link!

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only! (No PO Boxes) Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Dec. 19th. I will randomly pick the winner the next day and email him or her! (please check your email... winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

And a special thanks to Jane Doiron of Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms for sharing a copy of her new cookbook with me! (My husband thanks you too!)

I am always trying to come up with new and interesting side dishes and some of the side dishes in her book sound awesome. Italian Sub Salad and Stir fried Asparagus sound simply wonderful. I would love to have this book to try these and many others

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I'm an avid reader who loves books! My blog Chick With Bookshttp://chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/is where I review books and write about what's going on in the publishing world! Visit my blog to say hello and let me know what you enjoy reading!